You Will Not Touch Him
by Yuna Yami Mouto
Summary: Madara was VERY possessive of Itachi. Sasuke, Danzo and Konoha find out the hard way.


**You Will Not Touch Him**

 **Summary: Madara was VERY possessive of Itachi. Sasuke, Danzo and Konoha find out the hard way.**

War is the one constant in human nature, Uchiha Madara mused as he stood on top of a cliff, overlooking the ugly battlefield in front of him as Iwagakure's and Konohagakure's ninja fought to the death for a measly thing such as power and territory. Madara personally hated war. It brought out the best abilities out of a shinobi but the worst out of their characters. It created killing machines, tools and, the most deadly, monsters. And the people who started it didn't give a flying fuck about the consequences, the lives lost in their petty struggles for power. Madara thought them weak, pathetic. A century had passed and all he and his rival and friend and enemy, Senju Hashirama, have fought for was forgotten.

It was disgusting.

Here they were, these ninja, whole villages sending out the old and the young to fight battles for the brass while said brass sat on their lazy, fat asses and sipped tea or ate sweets in their safe houses in the middle of well guarded villages. They sickened Madara in their arrogance and lack of care for human lives. Madara had never been like that. When he had lead his clan into battle, he had been at the very front, taking out as many enemies as he could so that his clansmen would have less enemies to fight. Hashirama had done the same for the Senju. _They_ were true leaders. Their clansmen gladly followed them to battle. They were _proud_ to possibly go to their deaths for such powerful shinobi who were ready to put their own lives on the line before they sent them out to die. Even Tobirama had been the same.

Tobirama's student and his generation, though, fell short in Madara's expectations. Both battle and leadership skill wise. They hadn't even tried to make peace. Iwa had declared war and Tobirama's student, a Sarutobi if Madara remembered right, had just gone right ahead and accepted it after the first peace negotiations were declined. The Uchiha had to snort at the Sandaime Hokage's weakness. Had Hashirama gave up after the first time Madara had brushed him off, there would have been an even greater war raging on in this battlefield. Pathetic, really.

Feeling he had seen enough of this new pathetic generation that would disrespect everything he and Hashirama stood for, Madara turned around and headed back to the cave he had claimed for himself since he had faked his own death all those years ago. Now, his intention had been to simply run back to his 'home' and wait out the damn war to end, but instead he picked up on a chakra signature that peaked his interest. It is not that Madara had not sensed his own clansmen fighting and dying in this pointless war, he had, but this chakra signature was _different_ somehow. For one, it was extremely young. Madara would even call it a toddler's chakra signature but he wasn't sure. Because the chakra he sensed felt _refined_ in a way rare few ninjas manage to make it. Sensory types like Tobirama would be able to claim that those few who _do_ manage it have immense talent and will one day become great and feared ninja. Madara's sensory skills weren't on par with his but if even _he_ could feel it ... He had to see this Uchiha, so young yet so promising. So Madara changed course and followed the signature as it approached the same cliff he had been on moments earlier.

When he finally caught glimpse of the owner of the chakra signature, he nearly froze in place. For it was a boy, a _toddler_ of maybe four years of age who possessed such fine chakra. He was definitely Uchiha, even if he lacked the red and white fan so proudly displayed on his back. He had pale skin that seemed to glow under the light of the full moon and his hair and eyes were dark. And he had almost nonexistent tear troughs underneath his eyes, a sign Madara has learned powerful Uchiha to have since an early age. With his chakra as it was, it wouldn't be all that surprising. He looked so small and fragile but he ran on top of water like a true ninja and he had a weapons holster strapped to his thigh. The grace with which he moved already matched the liquid he was running on. This boy had potential. Madara could clearly see it. A still untapped potential that will one day make him a formidable ninja. Madara thought it to be a waste that such talent will go to waste in Konoha.

So he followed the boy, wondering if he could take him under his wing for his century long plan. He was still far from ready to do anything about it but maybe the boy would be of some help? It would be better to take this boy with him rather than to let his talents, already so obvious if you know how to look, rot in this war and in Konoha.

The boy finally reached the cliff from which Madara himself had watched the war, staring out at the battlefield. Taking a risk that the child might see him, Madara moved a little to the side, behind a big rock so he can clearly see the little Uchiha's face. Something in Madara _urged_ him to look. What he saw nearly floored him. Madara himself was up until now the youngest Uchiha to awaken the Sharingan, one tomoe in each of his eyes. It is this that which allowed Madara to become its most skilled wielder. He'd had it the longest. But this ... _This_ was never before heard of. It had been but a flicker but Madara's own Sharingan had seen it. He had _seen_ it. The red. He had _felt_ the flair of power. This boy ... How can a _four year old boy_ have awakened his _Sharingan with two tomoe_?! Sharingan activated only upon a very emotionally disturbing event. Sure, seeing war scares everyone, but this boy wasn't shaking in fear. His face was scrunched up in pain and his fists were clenched tight.

He was angry.

He felt _pain_ at all these deaths.

And he was _powerful_.

 _'Who is this boy?'_ Madara thought, staying where he was as the boy continued watching the battle, never joining but his eyes continuously flashing red. The boy must have been ordered to watch but not to participate. After all, no matter how fine his chakra was, he was still only four. Not even in his time did children go to war at that age. _'So what is he doing here?'_

He found out sometime near dawn, when the boy went down to the battlefield when the fighting was finally over. The boy just looked around, looking both lost and composed, as though he belonged there yet he didn't. Madara kept carefully out of sight, still observing the boy. The Sharingan had stopped flickering in and out of those endlessly black eyes but Madara could still feel that it was there, close to emerging again. An Iwa nin called out for water and the boy was quick to run over to offer his aid. Madara prepared to interfere, to finally take this child away, away from this war and from the enemy and from those who did not respect his life and his innocence enough to _keep him away_ from the ugliest part of humanity and he _nearly did_ when the Iwa nin saw the boy's ninja tools and tried to kill him while the boy was looking away-

But the boy was quicker, slashing the ninja's throat without even looking at him. Madara felt his eyes widening before he cursed himself and hid again just as he caught sight of another adult right behind the boy's back, equally stunned and awed at the boy's actions. From his chakra signature, Madara could tell he was an Uchiha, too. He wondered if it was the child's father. If so, the older Uchiha felt like strangling him. He had been right _there_ and he would have waited for the boy to save himself until the last moment. He had obviously not considered the thought that the younger Uchiha might be far more powerful than his age belied.

"Otou-san, why did this shinobi try to kill me?" Despite him possessing such obvious power, the boy's voice was soft and melodious. It didn't belong to someone capable of doing what the boy had just done, at _any_ age. It belongs with a gentle soul, not a ninja. ''I didn't do anything ... ''

''Because this is war,'' the adult, the boy's father, didn't hesitate to answer in a grim tone of voice and Madara wondered what this sudden urge to kill him was. All he knew is that he hadn't wanted this boy to learn that horrible word and its meaning. All he knew is that he had wanted to somehow save this child's innocence and his childhood. But he had killed, because that brunet man had not acted. In the eyes of a ninja, the boy was no longer a child.

'''War'?'' The boy repeated, drawing in on himself.

''It's not a war between people. It's a war between nations. That's why strangers kill each other meaninglessly.'' The father told his son, his _tool_ now, emotionlessly.

''Is that what it is?'' The raven haired child asked with his head bowed.

''That is what the shinobi world is.'' The stern man continued, not caring of his son's distress. Madara wanted to strangle him. This _brilliant_ child didn't deserve to see that side of a shinobi. Shinobi could be so much _more_. But it would seem this was all that was left of the shinobi. ''Listen, Itachi ... '' The ancient Uchiha perked up at this. _'Itachi?'_ So that was the boy's name? Uchiha Itachi ... It had a nice ring to it. ''Never forget this sight ... ''

Madara almost snorted as he watched the father turn around to leave, not seeing his son's eyes flash red again. As if the boy could ever forget. Not with the Sharingan constantly refreshing the image in his mind. That was the curse of their bloodline. They could never forget what they see with their eyes.

The boy stayed silent, his eyes giving one last flash of red before he followed his father away from the battlefield.

The war ended sometime after Itachi, the little boy that captivated Madara so, turned five. Konoha had won the war, but the casualties were far too great and Hashirama's and Tobirama's little student stepped down from the position of Hokage and a Yondaime Hokage was chosen. As expected, the mere thought of it being an Uchiha was rejected, something Madara had known would happen long before it was time to choose a new Hokage. The snake Sannin, Orochimaru, had been one of the choices, as had been a man named Shimura Danzo, another of Tobirama's students if Madara remembered correctly, but in the end, Namikaze Minato had been chosen for the position of Yondiame Hokage. He was a hero of the Third Great Shinobi War and had defeated a large division all by himself in a couple of minutes.

Madara wasn't overly impressed.

However, Madara had come out of this war with a few interesting things himself. Besides learning of little Itachi, perhaps the most prodigal Uchiha since Madara himself, he had met and saved Obito, another Uchiha. Only, unlike Itachi, he wasn't some prodigy. In fact, the clan considered him a disgrace. Madara found it far too easy to manipulate him into hating his friend and teammate, whom he had given his Sharingan to. He had even awakened the boy's Mangekyo Sharingan in the process by making sure his little sweetheart died in front of his eyes and Madara then accepted him into his fold to comfort the boy. He now had a pawn of his own for this game, but he needed more. Madara had to forget about little Itachi for a while, concentrating on three Ame orphans, one of whom had Rinnegan through Madara's help. He needed them. They were strong ninja.

So he spent a few months not paying attention to Itachi before deciding it was time to pay him a visit in Konoha again. To his surprise, he found out the boy had spent most of his time training and had gotten even better as a little ninja. However, his spy, Zetsu, also reported that he boy had nearly killed himself a few days after the war was officially over. Apparently, he had talked with Orochimaru and the idiotic Snake Sannin had told a _four year old_ that life was meaningless. Madara had very nearly went to kill the man as soon as he heard it but he was a bit more interested with the story of how Itachi had prevented his imminent death when falling down the cliff and his soon afterwards formed pact with crows. That one kind of surprised him. He had seen rare few pacts and with crows? Unheard of. You can make a pact with a dog and know they will not betray you. It's not like with a contract; that is a must to fulfill, whether the kuchiyose wanted to or not. Pacts were based on mutual trust and respect.

Itachi only got all the more interesting.

Madara chose to observe him more closely in the following four months, after he learned Itachi got a baby brother. The kid - Sasuke was his name - reminded him oddly of Izuna when he was born. He was cute, no doubt, but Itachi was Madara's main focus. He was fascinated with how the boy was looking at the baby. There was not a hint of jealousy or envy, just pure adoration. Madara could tell from that very second that something in Itachi had changed. That little baby boy had just become the most precious thing in Itachi's world. When an Uchiha loves, they love so completely and throughly that nothing can compare to their feelings. Little Sasuke just got himself an ultimate protector and he wasn't even aware of it, now was he?

Itachi changed that day, too, his views of life. Madara had watched from a little distance away as he passed some children who were discussing what they will be playing today. He daren't come any closer, not knowing how good the boy's sensory skills were just yet. With Itachi, you never knew when you crossed a certain boundary. He had watched as a brunet girl whose chakra suggested she, too, was from his clan, called out to Itachi to come play with them but the little genius was too lost in his own thoughts and too focused on his training to waste his precious time on them. Well, Itachi probably didn't think it like that - Madara had learned early on that Itachi was very humble and polite, despite his superior skills - but Madara sure did and so it would seem did the other boys, too.

Madara had been torn between strangling the little brats when they suddenly started throwing rocks at the person of his interest and just watching as Itachi effortlessly, gracefully and without so much as looking behind himself dodged the rocks sailing towards his person, just sidestepping every projectile with ease. When one boy called out to him to face them, though, Itachi raised a hand behind himself and caught the latest rock headed towards his head, whirled around and threw it, not even pausing to watch as the rock hit off each of the other rocks, finishing its journey by hitting the rock out of the leading boy's hand, leaving them all stunned into silence.

The ancient Uchiha had to teleport out of Konoha so no one would hear his incredulous and impressed laughter when he got over his own shock. Itachi was definitely different from anyone Madara had ever seen before. It only aroused his curiosity more.

Still, he had other plans, too. Konoha had forgotten the fear they should hold for him and it was time to remind them. Not personally. Oh no. That's what Obito's for! Zetsu had told them that the current Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi was pregnant and was about to go into labor any day now. Obito was to summon the Kyuubi and take control of it like Madara had taught him, wrecking haovic on the village Obito hated and blamed for the injustice of his life and his little would-be-girlfriend's death. But Madara realized releasing the Kyuubi on Konoha might interfere with his other interests. After all, there was no guarantee that Itachi would survive in the biju's rampage and Madara didn't want the little one's life to end just yet. The boy deserved to come into his own.

So, when Obito went with Zetsu on the 10th of October when that Uzumaki woman was supposed to give birth, Madara went to the Uchiha Compound. He found Itachi with little Sasuke, just sitting in front of the main house and looking up at the moon, talking softly to the happy baby. Something Madara had noticed was that the baby was happiest with his big brother. It would seem Madara will have to take both boys with him when the Kyuubi is finally released.

As though summoned by his thoughts alone, an ominous feeling filled the air and Madara watched as Itachi's head snapped up. "Something doesn't feel right." The ancient Uchiha arched a fine eyebrow, impressed that the child could feel it, the rising chakra. Then, the Kyuubi appeared above the village, its nine tails trashing and its oppressing chakra suffocating the ninjas of Konohagakure. Panicked cries immediately filled the air as the rampage started and Madara grinned as he felt the fear. Ah, everything was coming together beautifully. Now, just to take Itachi away-

Madara felt a strange panic fill him when he saw that the boys were gone, feeling Itachi's chakra moving away through the big house. He quickly moved towards the front entrance of the house, feeling the fight taking place as ninjas tried to counter the Kyuubi and keep it away from civilians. He found Itachi already running down the streets of the Uchiha Compound, calmly evading his panicking relatives as chaos spread through the entire village. Madara saw that he was close enough to reach Itachi if he were just to jump down but a bolder landing in the district knocked everyone off of their feet. Even Madara would have fallen had his Sharingan not been activated and allowed him to react fast enough. He watched as Itachi carefully climbed to his feet, shushing Sasuke as the baby started crying.

"It's okay. You just got a little scared, huh?" The little Uchiha soothed the crying baby. "There, there, Sasuke. You don't need to be scared. Your big brother is always going to protect you."

Madara's heart constricted at those words, remembering his own promise of always protecting his own younger brothers, his promise of protecting _Izuna_. He had not managed to protect them. They had all died, even Izuna, at Senju Tobirama's hand. He had failed. But would _Itachi_? Will he manage to keep his promise?

The ancient Uchiha was left numb as he continued following the little boy that had grabbed his attention like this. He watched as Itachi saved that Uchiha girl from some time ago before meeting up with his mother and handing Sasuke over to her. And just in time for Madara to see another boulder flying straight at them. He panicked yet again as he saw Itachi whirl around, seeing the boulder, too-

And his eyes flashed red once again, a single chakra induced punch more than enough to shatter the boulder into smithereens, effectively saving all four of their lives. The two females watched in astonishment as Itachi panted, his young body tired from the sudden intense chakra usage. The amount he spent was not one someone so young should have been able to manage, not for another few years at the very least. Not with the precision that had turned most of the boulder to dust.

Madara watched as Itachi took his mother's and the little girl's hands in one of his own each, leading them away to the shelter for civilians, the old and the young until the Kyuubi was once again sealed away in a blond child that felt like an Uzumaki and until the shinobi cleared up the streets from corpses and injured. The hospitals quickly filled up with said injured and shinobi were too busy searching for the missing people. If they were attacked right now, Konoha would have rare few ready to defend it and, believe it or not, one of those rare few would be a five year old.

Despite attempting to wipe Konoha off of the face of the Earth _twice_ now, Uchiha Madara protected the village until they could protect themselves again. He had stopped three assassinations, one infiltration, two spies and seven common thieves from entering the village, all the while watching over the progress of rebuilding, watching over _Itachi_. The boy was excited that the clan was moving out of their old compound to the new one, unlike the rest of his clansmen. Madara himself was unsure how to feel about his clan being shifted to the edge of the village but he decided not to have an opinion on it. He won't be able to do anything about it either way. Soon enough, he'll have to return to his hideout and speak with Obito about the Ame orphans. From what he had heard last of them, they had started an organization by the name Akatsuki and were waging a civil war against Hanzo the Salamander back in Amegakure. Seeing as he had a greater investment there at the moment, he left Konoha as soon as some of the integral infrastructure was taken care of and Itachi entered the Academy. It was perhaps the one thing that Madara had truly supported Tobirama in and he was glad that it had remained as strong as it had been during Konoha's first years. Itachi will have quite a few useful things to learn there.

In Amegakure, Madara surveyed the rise of power Uzumaki Nagato and his teammates managed, Nagato being proclaimed to be a _god_ for his Rinnegan. He was smug that he had gained control of an entire village without anyone being the wiser. Obito played his role well, especially after the death of that ginger haired boy that caused Nagato to go half mad and summon the Gedo Statue. Madara had unsealed it himself but he had doubted anyone could summon it like he had out of its sealed, immobile state. He was rather impressed with Nagato because of that. He had been a good choice.

He spent the next couple of years watching over the Akatsuki from within the shadows of shadows as Obito manipulated the two remaining Ame Orphans. By the time he had more than a few days free to go off and search for Itachi again, the kid was already a genin for a full year, having graduated at seven from the Academy by learning all the necessary jutsu and then some. Madara was sure Tobirama would have been impressed with a six year old learning his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu so easily and even developing a jutsu of his own based on it, the Karasu Bunshin. However, another thing that had happened in the time that he had not been around his desired protégé was that Obito had attacked Itachi's team while on an escort mission with the Fire Daimyo. One of Itachi's teammates and first friends was killed by Obito and the shock of it had finally fully awoken Itachi's Sharingan. The boy could now activate it at will but he didn't seem too thrilled by it.

Madara was a little baffled to see an Uchiha - _any_ Uchiha - suffering because they had awakened their doujutus. He would have thought Itachi to be thrilled by this new power that would help him defend his oh so beloved precious village and yet the eight year old was positively miserable whenever he wasn't keeping up a front around his family, new teammates and especially his little brother. The last one he could understand all too well, as he had always wanted to appear strong in front of Izuna and he knew he couldn't afford to appear weak in front of any of his clansmen, either. He was their heir and then their Clan Head. He had to be strong even when he felt the farthest from it.

He would have been thrilled at any other point to realize he and Itachi were so alike when he adored the little boy, but he did not like how they seemed to be sharing the same fate. Genius like theirs can only lead to isolation as they grew stronger and Sasuke was still too young to be Itachi's secure holding pillar on which he can lean on, even if just for a second.

Itachi was just lucky to have found a best friend in one Uchiha Shisui. Madara liked the boy well enough, as he helped Itachi train and was a strong ninja himself. It took only a few days of spending time together for Shisui to claim Itachi as his otouto and Itachi accepted him in turn as his aniki and their friendship became something Madara almost envied. But since he already liked Itachi as much as he did, he did not want this little friendship of theirs to end. Shisui, more than anyone else, became Itachi's safe heaven and that's exactly what the little genius needed as he grew stronger and stronger and climbed through the ranks with a swiftness that scared even the Hokage.

The old man would never admit it out loud or to the little now eleven year old's face, but Itachi's power scared him, his mind impossible to fathom, his potential seemingly limitless and his only real 'weakness' being his sweet tooth. Madara knew it reminded that old brat Hiruzen of the stories of himself when he was young and the only one who could face Hashirama on equal ground. Itachi didn't have his reserves or the Mangekyo Sharingan - yet - but he had as much talent as Madara did, only he showed it selectively. However, his talent was undeniable and so the Hokage had let Itachi participate in the Chuunin Exams - a farce of a fake _war_ Tobirama had thought up to let _children_ decide the fate of the villages by _killing or being killed_ , the hypocrite that preached with his idiot brother about peace - at ten, on his own and the kid had excelled and surpassed all expectations that had been set. His scores in the first part were second only to the Yondaime and he set a record in the second part. None dared face him in the preliminaries and he defeated his opponent in the finals with just a small, little genjutsu that had left the other genin shaking, crying, begging for his life and unwilling to pursue a further shinobi career.

Madara had watched with unspeakable pride and glee as Itachi was practically made chuunin right then and there, as the entire arena had gone deathly silent save for the slowly clapping Danzo, who was possibly the only one as gleeful of the outcome as Madara himself was.

Itachi applied for the jonin examination as well, but Danzo and his own father had dragged him into ANBU - another of Tobirama's little pet projects that went against everything Madara and Hashirama had ever dreamed about when planning their village. Not that Itachi hadn't jumped at the opportunity. It was an honor that spoke of just how recognized his skills were and he was eager to improve even more and gain more experience, something that had been bugging him since he gained his Sharingan for good. He was put in an interesting team that had Madara arching an eyebrow whenever he saw them together.

Well, only three members of the infamous Team Ro. The Captain was a friend of Obito's that Madara had led the younger Uchiha to hate. He was a genius and was hailed far and wide as a hero and the Copy Ninja due to the Sharingan Obito had gifted him with. The ancient Uchiha was a little jealous of the admiration and respect he inspired in his little Uhciha kohai but at least the bastard seemed somewhat fond and humbled to have Itachi's admiration, especially as he was at times overwhelmed by his young friend's maturity and genius. The other somehow had Mokuton and Madara imagined he must have gotten it in the same way Madara had awakened, _hmm_ , certain powers. They both treated Itachi well even if they didn't baby him and Itachi flourished even more under the tough missions ANBU forces must participate in.

Then Madara once again had to focus his attention on something else and left Itachi in Obito's and Zetsu's care. And that was the start of Itachi's fall from grace in Konoha's eyes. First, the preteen found out his clan was planning a coup d'tat and only he and his best friend were able to spy on their own clan in order to prevent a civil war that would destroy Konoha from the inside. Then, it became imminent that the coup will happen while his clan started ostracizing him, sensing that he wasn't completely on their side - if he ever was, since Itachi had always looked at the wider picture, beyond even what Madara's supposedly perfect eyes could see. Then Shisui killed himself after Danzo tried to steal his eyes and Itachi was accused of murdering his best friend. Even his little brother doubted his innocence and that only further isolated the now ANBU Captain of his own unit.

It was an agony no newly Mangekyo Sharingan awakened wielder should be put through. But it awakened Itachi's own special Mangekyo power a lot sooner than it had even in any other Uchiha who had gotten the Mangekyo and what a deadly power his Tsukuyomi was. Destroyed a person's very mind inside their own head ... Even Madara shuddered when he thought of reliving torture over and over again, for hours, days, weeks and years on end before the brain is so overstimulated that it simply ... dies. But Itachi learned of the potential behind that power a little later, after the hardest order he had to fulfill in his life.

After Shisui's death, the Clan was readying to take action a lot sooner than Itachi had originally thought them to and so he had been forced to report them. From what Madara later learned, that Sarutobi fool had at least tried to save the clan by trying to think up a way to prevent the bloodshed but Itachi had been summoned by Danzo and threatened with his little brother's life if he didn't massacre the entire Uchiha Clan and take the full blame, never to speak it again, to take it to his grave, somewhere far from Konoha's territory. Itachi had been conflicted but he had known what choice he will make. For Shisui's sacrifice, for Sasuke's life and for Konoha's safety, he destroyed his own life and became a Clan Killer, a murderer, a traitor.

And Obito had gleefully helped him, wanting to get revenge against the Clan that had never supported him. The Uchiha were gone in a single night and Itachi left the village, following 'Madara' to the Akatsuki hideout and joining the organization.

The next time Madara had been preparing to see his little would be pupil, Itachi had walked right by him in the halls of the cave the Akatsuki used as a hideout, both Uchiha freezing upon seeing each other. It didn't take Itachi longer than a second to figure out that 'Tobi' was not 'Madara' but that the ancient Uchiha was still none the less involved in all of this.

Obito had the unfortunate fate to be the first Akatsuki member to realize just how much of the Uchiha temper was still very much present in the usually mild, calm ex Konoha nin. And he was the first person to feel the full power of the Tsukuyomi, reliving his worst nightmare over and over and over again, for twenty years in a millisecond. Had Madara not stopped the youngest Uchiha in the Akatsuki, Obito would have been more of a plant than Zetsu was.

None but Madara, Pein and Konan dared come anywhere near their newest, youngest member, fearing they might get the same treatment Tobi had. The ancient man was more than happy with that short period of time no one bothered the youngest of the three Uchiha missing nin, since it gave Itachi time to get accustomed to his new way of life and Madara a chance to for the first time talk with the boy he had been watching over for the past decade. At first, Itachi very masterfully avoided him like the plague, but the longer he stayed within the Akatsuki base, doing nothing more than training, the more curious he got. An idea had been born in that young, genius mind of his and Madara was literally concealing his squeals of excitement and stopping himself from bouncing on the balls of his feet when one day the once ANBU Captain warily approached him, asking for a sparring match.

As was to be expected, Madara won with seeming ease but in truth, Itachi had not made it an easy victory. Even with his near perfect eyes, Madara had found himself caught in a powerful genjutsu, thankfully not the Tsukuyomi since it drained Itachi so much to use it without some form of training regarding his Mangekyo and its powers. Still, it had taken him a lot longer than was safe in a fight to realize he was trapped and Itachi had nearly called it a victory when he had almost made it to Madara's throat to be in the demanding of yielding position. It had only been Madara's sensory skills that had alerted him to an enemy being too close. On anyone with lesser sensory skills, it would have been a much less happy ending.

Madara's excitement won the battle with his pride and self control when Itachi asked if he would be willing to train him. He was pretty sure the gentle smile on Itachi face, however befuddled, was not meant to be for anyone else but a giddy child finally getting the toy they had so hoped for. Certainly not for a crazed warlord who had once upon a time tried to rains the village he so loved to the ground.

However, Madara was not an easy teacher to have. He was war-hardened and rough around the edges. He was a genius and had never known a day of rest. Anyone who had ever asked to be his student had quite after the first day because of how hard he drove them and how much he asked of them from the start, instead finding a mellower teacher. Soon, his reputation was such that he wouldn't be able to teach a tree to grow in the right direction and he hadn't minded. The longer he had stayed in Konoha, the crazier with grief he had become. Fleeing had been the best choice he had ever made.

Getting to train Itachi was somehow more of a delight than watching his dream village come into reality. He was everything Madara had expected him to be. He took everything Madara threw at him with surprising ease and anything that he might have found difficult, he figured out on his own within an hour or two. Their biggest set back was Itachi's low chakra reserves, but his chakra control countered that within a week of training while he figured out which techniques will require how much chakra and just how little chakra he could spend in order to still make the jutsu work but in a way that won't leave him exhausted. Like he had been doing for years now, Madara masked his presence and hid, watching form afar in awe as little by little, Itachi was able to preform jutsus that would normally take more than half his normal reserves without spending one fifth of his own chakra. The process of shrinking even that amount of wasted chakra - as Itachi grumbled when he was so tired he actually acted a bit like his own age - was very long and at times it took him months. But he could do it and it only showed how special he was since no one else would be able to do those jutsus with as little chakra spent as Itachi can.

Taijutsu came easily enough, even when they both used the Sharingan, their hand to hand spars were almost on equal ground. Madara could only defeat Itachi by outlasting him in chakra and the extra stamina chakra provided, but Itachi was as sneaky as his namesake and he knew he had to finish a fight quick, so he aimed true and swift. When Madara started becoming out of breathe or sweating after their spars, Itachi's intelligent eyes had started twinkling with pride, an emotion that had never before flared in the modest Uchiha.

Madara hadn't bothered hiding his pride when he commented on how much of a better fighter Itachi had become. No matter how good he had been, he was even better now. And yet he still hid that from people, much to Madara's confusion.

Three months after they had started their trainings, the Akatsuki was fully formed and Itachi got himself a partner. Juzo Biwa was your average level Swordsman of the Mist, nothing that particularly impressed Madara. But Juzo wasn't a bad partner for Itachi, much better than that freak Orochimaru - in a way, he reminded Madara of a far less moral Tobirama and that was a scary thought - or that creep Kakuzu, who liked to kill his partners and steal the hearts of strong shinobi. He was almost Madara's age and Madara did well to stay clear of him. No need to alert anyone who didn't know about his presence that he was there, pulling the strings of the Akatsuki. He also wasn't overly fond of Sasori, either, since the man was all about eternal beauty and had turned his own body into a puppet. Itachi was a very pretty individual and Madara would _destroy_ Sasori if he so much as _thought_ about making Itachi into a puppet to 'preserve his beauty for all eternity'.

It felt strange to once again feel this sort of protectiveness towards someone after Izuna's death. It's been so long since he had actually bothered himself to care about anyone. He had even mostly stopped caring about Hashirama and Konoha after a couple of years, but then he'd learned of the Infinite Tsukuyomi and he knew he had a chance to make it all right. But he had died and there was that whole Izanagi episode and then reviving himself again, years later, through Tobirama's Edo Tensei and his own Rinnegan. It had not been an easy feat to put in those jutsus to activate a few days after his death and Black Zetsu had to watch over him all the time and the awakening wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world, but it had been definitely worth it if he got to feel again. For an Uchiha not to feel it is practically a death sentence, as their strength comes from their emotions.

Itachi had just become far more precious to him, just at the time when he could no longer see him on a regular basis. Zetsu approved of his absence, though, because Madara was once again focusing on the further development of their plan instead of devoting all of his time to Itachi and his training. He had practically a whole year away from his little unofficial pupil before Itachi, one day, returned drained and alone after a successful mission interrupted by the Mizukage and his bodyguards. It was a miracle the boy had even returned by his own power to the hideout, as he collapsed the second he was relatively safe and slept for three days straight.

He brought a whole new problem to the table when he woke up, though. Madara had heard of the black fire that can burn anything and everything, even fire itself, before, named after the goddess of the sun, Amaterasu. It was of the same level of danger like Tsukuyomi, only it didn't affect the mind. It could completely obliterate the body, though, until not even the ashes remained. And it was just as tasking on Itachi as Tsukuyomi was. Madara had never bothered trying to see whether he could do the Amaterasu but he wished now that he had. Itachi had to learn to control it before he can be returned to the active roster and before he was assigned a new partner. Obito already had someone in mind and was working on bringing them in under the Akatsuki's fold, meaning Itachi had little time to master such tasking and complicated technique.

Unsure of what else to do, Madara started sneaking into Konoha and into the now closed Uchiha Compound, taking valuable books and scrolls back for Itachi to study. These were not the same ones Itachi had used to study out of, as they were sealed away from prying or even Uchiha eyes, but Madara knew his clan well enough to know where they might have hidden it. Itachi went through the reading materials faster than Madara could get them and soon Itachi knew pretty much every jutsu, genjutsu and doujutsu that every Uchiha had ever developed and every ability the Sharingan could achieve.

It took him a month, but he did it. And the month that followed, while he was waiting for a partner to be chosen for him, Itachi withdrew himself almost completely from Madara's training regime and started training almost entirely on his own. Madara wasn't sure what the youngest Akatsuki Uchiha was up to or what he was training himself in - the boy had, much to Madara's pride and frustration both, mastered the Hiraishin or some lesser version of it that left his teleportations traceless even for Zetsu or Nagato - but Itachi was getting even stronger with each passing day. By the time one Hoshigaki Kisame had enrolled in the Akatsuki, Itachi had finished his training - for now - and had been waiting for his new partner to arrive.

Madara had watched their first meeting and wondered whether he should just kill the shark man right here and now. The man was a true merciless killer that cared only about the mission - a true Mizugakure shinobi mindset that had irritated Madara from the moment that the village had been formed. Itachi didn't need that kind of partner. He needed someone better. He didn't understand why they stubbornly kept throwing Mizu shinobi at him, and the Seven Swordsman of the Mist, no less. What, were they going to try Itachi out with all seven of them? Juzo had at least been a decent partner. He had watched out for Itachi in their partnership. Kisame just didn't seem to care and Madara was ready to tear him apart any day now. Better for Itachi to go on missions on his own than have to look over his shoulder all of the time because of his partner. If he had wanted that to happen, he would have placed Itachi with Kakuzu or even Sasori.

As it turned out, Madara was glad he hadn't acted on that strange overprotective impulse. When Itachi and Kisame returned after their first three months as a team, they seemed infinitely closer and more agreeable towards each other, Kisame even deferring to Itachi in a manner none of the other Akatsuki had expected for a proud, strong shinobi like Kisame to do. No one knew just what happened to make them stop throwing threats around like rice at a wedding, but it was approved of, since it meant they will work better as a team. And once _that_ was settled, the ancient Uchiha found himself a partner of his own. In caring for Itachi.

It didn't happen immediately, no. Kisame and Itachi still mostly didn't talk to each other, but Itachi was not a talkative person while Kisame was still unsure as to where he stood with the weasel. Something had obviously happened and the shark now respected his smaller, younger partner. But he also secretly fretted over him, or as secretly as someone like him could manage. You'd think a shinobi would be sneakier than that. But Kisame didn't seem to _want_ to hide his care for his partner and usually that regard for him was used to keep the other members away. _Especially_ after Itachi's encounter with that snake freak, Orochimaru, was brought into light. No one had thought that the Sannin had fled because of the Uchiha prodigy. They had thought Itachi had caught him fleeing but that the raven haired boy had not managed to catch him. Pfft. As if! The youngest ANBU Captain in history, failing such a mundane mission?

Madara had been tempted to go and find the bastard and show him that _no one_ messed with _his_ Itachi. He would have, too, if not for several factors. One, his cover would have been blown and Obito's along with his. Two, he didn't _want_ anyone to know he was alive. And three, perhaps the most important of all - to Madara, at least - Itachi would have been pissed with him. Years passed and Madara wondered if Itachi would feel the same if he went now and killed the snake bastard now that he had marked Sasuke with his Cursed Seal of Heaven and planned to use him as his next body. He was surprised Itachi didn't go and do it himself, considering he was even stronger than before, but Itachi didn't and _couldn't_ go.

Somewhere between recruiting Deidera to be Sasori's new partner - _Kami_ , that was possibly their worst move yet! The _bickering_ ... urgh! - and hunting down the Kyuubi when he left Konoha, Itachi had picked up an illness. A _terminal_ , seemingly _incurable_ illness. And he wasn't even trying to get it taken care of. There were plenty of medic nins out there, ways to completely extract the disease out of Itachi's body and yet the ex ANBU refused. What was worse, his eye sight had also slowly started deteriorating, not that one could tell. Itachi's perfect chakra control allowed him to spend most of his time using the Sharingan and his sensing technique - if only he had bigger chakra reserves, he'd be one scary sensor - allowed him to see the world as though he could see perfectly clearly. Madara and Obito both had tried to make him reconsider just going back to the Uchiha Compound's burial grounds and getting a pair of eyes from some closer relative. His father, Fugaku, would be the perfect candidate, what with his Mangekyo Sharingan. It even had a similar pattern to Itachi's! Or if he'd only implant at least the eye that his faithful crow carried around ...

But no. Itachi refused. Said it would be wasted on a dying man. They couldn't change his mind about being treated, they couldn't knock him out long enough to carry him somewhere and they couldn't convince him to transplant his eyes. If he was so damn stubborn to let his brat of a brother take his eyes, then at least leave the kid his own eyes in a jar or something! Not that Uchiha Sasuke deserved eyes as powerful as Itachi's, but there was nothing that could be done.

After the 'failed' attempt of bringing in the Kyuubi jinchuuriki - the actual mission was just some reckon - Itachi started getting worse by the day. Kisame was fretting over him more than ever and, one day, he returned with an unconscious weasel in his arms in the pouring rain, panicked like no shinobi ever should be. Itachi was pail, shivering and coughing up blood. When Kakuzu and Sasori - the closest they had to medics - looked him over, they said they were downright incredulously surprised and shocked that Itachi was alive at all, let alone still fighting. Anyone else would have succumbed to the illness and the chronic pain and just _died_ long ago, if only to be rid of the agony. And yet here Itachi was, shivering but clinging on to life better than most completely healthy men could.

It was on that day that Itachi was declared a dead man walking.

And he looked like death warmed over, on certain days. On those bad days, he could barely move, was always vomiting and couldn't stomach more than a glass of water a day. He could barely open his eyes, let alone use the Sharingan to see, which led to him being practically blind. Kisame never left his side on such days, catering to his every need, no matter what. It was worrying when he would get a fever and fall into so deep a delirium that not even the mention of Sasuke's (and possibly all the harm both Madara and Kisame wished to inflict on the brat) could rouse him. He would just shiver along while they did his best to keep him alive, although Pein and Konan at times thought it to be more merciful to just end it there and then.

Itachi's crow didn't allow it if Itachi's chakra itself didn't flare up to stop them. No one knew how he managed to put Kakuzu on fire with Amaterasu and send Sasori into a Tsukuyomi that one time he had been particularly close to death and hadn't been responsive for _weeks_.

That had helped ... They think. Because Itachi never again got so bad, at least not around anyone other than Kisame and, surprise of all surprises, Madara. The Uchiha co fonder of Konoha had been humbled by how much Itachi had come to relax in his presence but it hurt to see him slowly slipping away, not being able to do anything for him other than to try to make his breathing easier and cool him down every now and then. It felt like slowly losing Izuna all over again and Madara wasn't sure whether he'd be able to survive that again. He wasn't sure if any of his sanity would survive. There is only so much pain and loss an Uchiha can take before they snap. You'd think that his last two attacks on Konoha and the Senju were him snapping, wouldn't you?

You'd be wrong.

He was desperate to save Itachi. He had never considered being anyone's sensei before, too busy grieving Izuna and trying to make a good deal for his clan and he didn't really care much for Obito, whom he only needed for his plans. But Itachi was a different matter altogether and Madara knew he would do _anything_ to save the young man's life. He had watched him grow from a late toddler to a fine young man just entering real adulthood and it _hurt_ to think he will be taken away from him. And soon. Too soon. Just three years after the death of Tobirama's student, the Sandaime Hokage, and the beginning of the Godaime Hogake's reign - another Senju, go figure - Sasuke killed and absorbed Orochimaru in his body and set out on a warpath after Itachi, intent on one final battle with the Clan Killer.

Time for solutions was out. Kisame begged, Konan reasoned, Pein indifferently expected, Tobi urged Itachi to go through with it and Madara could do nothing. Itachi was going to face his brother and die.

"I thought I might find you here, Madara-sama." Speak of the weasel. Itachi, despite his illness, looked as though he had never been hurt or sick in his life. The first part was true but the second has been a lie for years. "You have not shown yourself for a while now. I thought you might have an opinion on this last trip of mine going on starting tomorrow."

"It is clear no opinion will change your own decision, brat." He grumbled good naturally at what had been his disciple for years. Even when Itachi started training less and less with him, they still had at least a weekly sparring match when Itachi was back at the hideout. They had a strange sort of camaraderie, a complex relationship that not even they themselves, the geniuses that they were, could define. "I figured I should just not waste my breath."

"How are you so sure of that?" The younger raven haired man asked as he came to stand beside where Madara was sitting on the edge of a cliff drop, gazing out at the mockingly fool moon. He knew what was up there and it was mocking him with the power he could gain, the dreams he could achieve. But at what cost? He knew Itachi never stood for his dream, for his version of a world of no pain or wars. Itachi wanted reality. Not a genjutsu. Besides, he doubts he could even _give_ Itachi even that illusion of a painless world. Itachi was the genjutsu master that, if just given the chance to live a year or two, would surpass Izuna well beyond anything his little brother had ever managed to make.

"You have never changed your mind before."

"I was not staring death in the face." The other quickly countered and Madara snorted.

"You are not a man who fears death, Itachi. At least not your own. And besides, you've been staring death in the face for a long while now and you never faltered. You won't change your mind now, either."

"Perhaps," Itachi admitted with a nod, also staring at the moon. The moon was Itachi's element. Not like nature elements for chakra, but rather a very accurate description of him. Pale, unique in the sky, brighter than any of the stars or completely invisible when he wished to be. He can't really blend in, he always draws attention and admiration and he is always, _always_ a source of power. The moon is wisdom and Itachi, despite being so horribly young that first time Madara had seen him, had it in spades. "But the opinion of the teacher always matters to a student, I think."

"Perhaps," Madara echoes, not really thinking about the words until Itachi bids him goodnight - _goodbye_ , a traitorous, cruel part of his mind reminds - and walks away, leaving him to stare at the moon some more and ponder life. He doesn't think about it even when he retires for the night himself - he wants to watch the fight, to honor his only student by remembering his valiant efforts - not against his weakling of a sniveling little brother (you can imagine just how pissed off he was about Sasuke that _he_ was saying such things about someone's little brother) but against his own sickness and slowly dying body - and to be there to take Itachi back to the hideout for a proper burial worthy of any ANBU Captain - so he goes to bed early and the words are forgotten.

Right up until the moment Sasuke summons lightning in a jutsu he calls Kirin and he lunges to attack Itachi. Now, Madara was fast, never doubt that, and his Sharingan allowed him plenty of time to react, but he knew he wouldn't make it in time never the less. He thought that was it. This was the end of Uchiha Itachi and he could already feel despair and madness filling him with rage when the most unexpected of all unexpected things happened and, as the attack was supposed to hit, Madara saw a red chakra giant engulf Itachi's tired body whole and extend and grow until a nearly perfect Susanoo stood between the Kirin and Itachi. Sasuke was sent flying backwards and there were long moments as everyone just _stared_ at the most powerful of all Uchiha doujutsus that no one had seen for a hundred years - since Madara - and even longer before that - since the Rikudo Sennin and his eldest son.

As was to be expected, Sasuke was cowering under his elder brother's power but Madara knew this could very well be Itachi's death sentence, if he kept up the Susanoo any longer. He was already coughing up blood and the fight had tired him, draining his chakra. Over the years, Itachi had learned to do micro-healing on his body to keep himself alive. Not enough to save him from his fate but enough to keep his organs functioning and him alive. With his chakra reserves all but depleted completely in the fight, it will be a miracle if he lives another five minutes if he keeps up the chakra warrior. Well, Madara wasn't going to allow that.

It spoke of how close to death's door Itachi was when he started at Madara appearing in front of him, probably distinguishable to him only because of his unique - as in, no one wore it anymore - armor and wild mane of long hair through the haze that must have fallen over his eyes from the strain. Itachi was never surprised, and in the rare occasion something _did_ actually surprise him, he never showed it. The fact that he leaned against Madara for support when the older Uchiha placed a hand on his shoulder spoke alarming volumes to Madara and he had to sit down with the weary man, the red giant dissipating like taken away by the wind. Madara replaced it with his own Susanoo, a deep, dark blue as he checked Itachi over. It looked worse than it was but in Itachi's current state, it might as well be fatal.

"Madara-sama?" Itachi rasped through bloodied lips - from the coughing, not the fight - staring glassily up at him where Madara had draped him over his own lap.

"Nope. You're not talking right now." The ancient Uchiha said sternly, green chakra pouring into his hand as he placed it over Itachi's chest, ignoring his protests. "I'm not going to stop so you may as well shut up and stop moving, Itachi. This has gone on long enough."

"I _need_ to do this." It was so wrong to see the ponytailed man near desperate as he almost pleaded with Madara but he was having none of that. He ignored nearly everyone as they clamored around the big giant wall of shaped chakra - even Zetsu and Obito, who were hissing something at him, and the Kyuubi boy and his team - instead focusing on Itachi.

"What you need is to stop being a martyr for everyone. Your fucking village doesn't deserve it. I won't say anything about your brat of a brother, as that is a personal matter, but I will _not_ let you die because of fucking Konoha and fucking _Danzo_." He looked up and his eyes searched the gathered people for the chakra signatures he had sensed. "You, Uzumaki girl, Kyuubi boy. Come here. You too, pinky," he said as an afterthought, feeling her fine chakra and excellent control. She was a healer. Good. They need one of those. "He needs your help."

"Why should we help _you_?" The Uzumaki redhead glared at him down her nose but yelped when Kisame picked her up like she weighted nothing at all and entered the Susanoo, eying warily the powerful chakra around him, before depositing the girl in front of the two Uchiha.

"Because I can burn you to ash faster than the speed of light," was the not so wailed threat and the girl cringed, saying not another word. The blond Uzumaki boy and his pink haired healer friend had also cautiously entered the Susanoo's dome and were looking down at Itachi in horror when they saw how sickly he was.

"How long?" The medic nin asked as she removed her gloves swiftly, ready to do damage control before starting any sort of work.

" _Years_ ," Madara replied tiredly. "He refused treatment because he wanted to make things easier for _him_ ," he jerked his head in the direction of the slowly approaching, unsteady Sasuke, Kasanagi in hand and Madara snarled, his Susanoo drawing a blue chakra Kadanagi as well and pointing it at the teen. He stayed his hand when he felt Itachi weakly pulling at his sleeve. "So the fight will be more fair, only through natural causes and not by restraining his chakra or actually doing much holding back."

"Idiot," the girl muttered.

"What do you want us to do, dattebayo?" The Kyuubi brat asked, clearly not knowing what to think of Itachi right now. Madara had seen their last interaction. He knew what else besides the Kyuubi Naruto housed in himself, even if he didn't know right now. Itachi's crow may be needed, if the look in Sasuke's eyes was anything to go by.

"He needs better treatment than I can give him here. I can stabilize him for a while, but I'm not sure even that will keep him alive until we get him back to Tsunade-sama. If she will treat him at all." The red dressed kunoichi said, already doing some of the above mentioned stabilizing. She jumped a little when Kisame landed a hand on her shoulder and borrowed her his chakra for the procedure, to which she gratefully nodded.

"That's what the Uzumaki brats are for. Well, the girl, anyway. The Kyuubi brat has something else I need - not your damn biju, I couldn't care any less for that right now!" He snapped before reaching with an open palm and hitting the blond with a small burst of chakra into the chest. He ignored him then as he started vomiting Itachi's crow back up. "And I'm sure she'll be more than happy to heal the one man that can bring that Danzo bastard down. The return of the last four Uchiha in the world under Konoha's fold? Bonus."

"I can't go back," Itachi protested.

"I _won't_ go back!" Sasuke snarled and lunged to attack the Susanoo, expecting the Kusanagi to easily sink through, only to yelp in surprise as he was once again repelled by a Susanoo. Only it wasn't as gentle as the first time around. Madara wasn't Itachi and couldn't care less for the brat. Itachi made a protesting noise but quieted under the glare Sakura gave him.

"You're saying you're an Uchiha?" Uzumaki boy asked incredulously, studying his face. "I guess you do have the whole broody air about you, the assholeness and the freaky eyes." Said 'freaky' eyes rolled in annoyance while the one he recognized as the Copy Ninja warily approached, obviously seeking to be in a better position to protect his team.

"Doesn't he look familiar to you, Naruto?" Hatake asked, pointing at Madara in whole. "The Valley of the End?" He offered at the confused expression he got in return before blue eyes widened and the loud teen whirled around to point a finger in Madara's face.

"Eeeh! He's one of the carved dudes at the waterfall!"

The legendary shinobi rolled his eyes. "That's Uchiha Madara-sama to you, bozu."

" _Uchiha Madara_!?" The three teenage boys left outside of the Susanoo yelled at the same time the medic nin and the female Uzumaki screeched it inside said chakra giant.

"Who's Uchiha Madara?" Naruto asked confusedly and Madara let out an annoyed, resigned sigh. Sasuke snorted something that sounded suspiciously like 'Usuratonkachi' while Itachi just shook his head where Madara was holding him.

"Only you, Naruto-kun."

"How are you even alive? And why should we trust you?" Hatake demanded and Madara snorted before pointing where Zetsu and Tobi were standing.

"The one in the mask is Uchiha Obito."

"You bastard!" Said man shrieked, not believing that Madara would so easily give him up. Kakashi was staring at him with his mouth dropped open and his eyes wide. Sasuke, on the other hand, looked both elated and confused by the number of Uchihas present in one place.

"We'll come and _stay_ in Konoha if the Godaime agrees to heal my student."

"Student?" Several voices echo before everyone looks down at the barely conscious Itachi, who looked utterly confused at Madara's new game goal.

"Why would you ... go back to Konoha?"

"Because you have much more to learn and what kind of teacher lets their student die in front of their eyes." He met Itachi's eyes. "Even Tobirama got that right." He grumbled, his grudge against that man will never fade but he will not let it interfere with getting Itachi the help he so desperately needed.

"And your plans?" Itachi was far too aware for a person at death's doorstep. Good. He was at least fighting it. No more giving in. Time to win the battle of his body.

"I may consider scraping them if a certain weasel starts calling me sensei." Madara replied with a grin. Itachi seemed ready to return it with a small smile of his own when Sasuke's snort broke the moment.

"I'm not going anywhere with that murderer and if Konoha is going to house him, then I will declare war against the village and-" Madara, though, was fed up with the kid and just looked Itachi's now free of the gagging blond crow in the eye, letting his Sharingan's tomoe spin in a lazy circle and watching the bird's own single Sharingan eye answer before the black bird flew over to Sasuke. Itachi looked up at him in wide eyed shock. The legendary Uchiha shrugged.

"What? The Kotoamatsukami was meant for that purpose anyway," he snapped defensively before shaking his head and getting back to the matter at hand: getting Itachi back to Konoha's hospital. "You, Uzumaki girl. Give him your wrist." For once, she did as she was told by someone other than Sasuke, baring her teeth-marked wrist to the sick man and he hesitantly bit her. By her surprised look, it would seem he had done it as gently as possible, probably channeling what little chakra he had left to pierce the skin a lot more smoothly. He almost immediately looked a little better and some of his wounds started healing under the ministrations of the two kunoichi. But as soon as he took what he considered his fill, Itachi collapsed against Madara, blissfully unconscious to the world. "We can move him now, right?"

"He should be fine." The pink haired girl replied. "For a while now, anyway. He's really sick and the chakra exhaustion and these wounds aren't helping him any. I don't even know how he is alive at all, let alone able to go through a fight that could do _this_ much damage."

"That's 'cause Itachi-san is exceptional." Kisame said at the same time Hataka muttered "Well, he _is_ Uchiha Itachi." The two men looked at each other, a silent understanding passing between them as people who had at one point worked with said prodigy. "I'll take him, Madara-sama." The blue skinned man went on after a pause. "Samehada and I can keep transferring chakra into Itachi-san's body while we travel and I'm more used to than I'd like to carrying him great distances at an adequate traveling speed." Madara grimaced at the implication Itachi had lost consciousness before but he knew his ward of sorts was in safe hands with Kisame. He never thought he'd consider such a thing about a Mist nin, but there you have it.

"I'll give you one better," Madara said while motioning for Kisame to pick Itachi up. "Don't panic," he told the group and rolled his eyes when blondie, the albino and the two kunoichi indeed did panic when his Susanoo'a hand picked them all up and stood to its full, impressive biju height. Obito and Zetsu were in his other hand, struggling to get free, as if he'd let them. Obito was staying with the clan and Zetsu was too dangerous to be walking around freely. "Shut up!" His yell was as effective as ever and Madara wondered if there were still legends about his lung capacity back in Konoha among those who might have at one point known him personally. "It's faster this way. The only one out of you lot fast enough to keep up with my speed is Itachi and he can't exactly do anything right now, so shut up, hold on and enjoy the ride."

They made it back to Konoha surprisingly fast, although some of his passengers looked quizzy when he finally jumped over the wall and directly in front of what he knew was the hospital. He and Kisame expertly ignored the panicked villagers and ninjas - most of them didn't even _know_ what the Susanoo was, much to Madara's annoyance - as the giant dissolved to just a misty of chakra around the two of them should anyone decide to be heroically stupid and try attacking them as they entered the hospital, pinky calling for the best doctors and the loudmouth blond going to call Tsunade. Madara felt a strange sensation in his gut. Tsunade was Hashirama's granddaughter and Tobirama's grandniece. Someone Madara cared about was dying and only a Senju might be able to help. Last time, he had followed Izuna's wishes and not asked or accepted the offered help. He was doing differently this time and he felt _horrible_. He was _terrified_ for the first time in his life since the moment Izuna's rasping breathing stopped. He hoped he had not made a bad call.

By the time a busty blond woman arrived on the scene, shouting orders to both medics and the newly arrived ANBU, Madara could sense many other ANBU level shinobi hiding nearby and his lips curled in distaste. He knew whom they worked for. He could also sense a certain student of Tobirama's, an Uchiha-hater, making his way towards the hospital, no doubt having heard of the return of his greatest nightmare to the village. Madara wasn't even sure whether that was him or Itachi but he imagined neither of them will be welcomed with open arms. Maybe he should just throw Obito and Sasuke at the man and let him worry about two vengeful Uchiha while the two who still felt any sort of love for Konoha deal with one of them being near death at the moment. Tsunade stopped briefly in horror upon seeing just _who_ was in the room with her apparent patient - maybe she hadn't believed the Kyuubi boy when and if he had told her. Serves her right. But he had to admire how she just prowled on and actually dared push both him and Kisame out - that bossy attitude was definitely an Uzumaki trait.

He didn't mind. He won't get in her way, since she needs to concentrate on healing Itachi. He just sat down in one of the waiting chairs while Kisame prowled around like an agitated lion or tiger. Not that Madara blamed him, he would probably be doing the same if he had any less self control. He was no less anxious about what was going on in the operating room. Him freaking out and getting agitated won't help anyone, least of all Itachi. So he let the shark pace for the both of them, hoping these idiots will know how to temporarily restrain Zetsu. He would do it but he can't maintain the Susanoo in the hospital without making an even bigger commotion than it already was.

He just sat there for an hour, not bothering to look up when Sasuke, the Kyuubi boy and all their little subordinates/friends gathered around him, some of them gaping at him while others were fingering their kunai. He nearly snorted. As if any of them could even touch him. Hashirama had always been the only shinobi who could match and defeat him and even _he_ had to give it his all. With his new Rinnegan, though, not even Hashirama would be able to do it without some help. He looked out of the corner of his eye when he felt a fellow Mokuton user, a frown passing over his brow for a second before he remembered the stories of the experimentation Tobirama, then Orochimaru conducted regarding the Mokuton and Hashirama's cells. That's how he got his own, having Zetsu steal some of Hashirama's cells and implanting them. Hm, if he remembered correctly, that man used to be on the same ANBU team as his little Itachi and Hatake, who was currently nowhere to be seen.

" _You_!?" He _did_ look up, however, at the incredulous, outraged and downright terrified screeched growl that came from none other than the one and only Shimura Danzo. He was as pale as a sheet and shaking in fear as he pointed a shaky finger at Madara. "What are _you_ doing here!? _How_ are you here!? You're _dead_!"

Madara couldn't stop his lips from curling into a devilishly smug smirk. "Ever heard of Izanagi?" Of course, he _knew_ the other had. The man was too obsessed by Uchiha eyes not to have stumbled upon texts of the Izanagi.

"That doesn't work once you're _dead_!"

"What would _you_ know about Izanagi?" The ancient Uchiha asked with a huff. "You're just one of Tobirama's brats. Not even his supposedly best brat, we all know how he had ended up."

"Hey!" Naruto protested but Madara didn't care about the blond's opinion.

"He might have even deserved it, for ever letting the likes of _you_ to gain any power. You had this coming, Shimura. Be grateful I'm not trying to kill you right here and now and you owe _that_ to my student."

" _Student_?! You never _had_ a student!" Danzo sneered, trying to take comfort in the guards on his side but knowing, no matter how gifted they might be, they won't stand a chance against a 'monster' like Uchiha Madara.

"I do. Already, what, eight years now? That sounds about right. Brilliant kid, you know. I'd even go as far as to call him my second coming where strength and talent is concerned. Such a shame that he has so small chakra reserves, but he knows how to work past that. You might know him," Madara told Danzo smugly and he paled further. Sasuke and the rest were watching this all happen and Madara briefly wondered where Obito was. Maybe Hatake was busy chasing him around so they could have a 'heart to heart', as Hashirama used to call it? But that didn't hold his attention nearly as well as Danzo's horrified face and he smirked. "Since you blackmailed and ordered him to kill the whole Uchiha Clan."

" _WHAT_!" The scream came from many mouths but Tsunade's, without a doubt, drowned them all out. They all looked towards the fuming Godaime, who had just exited the operating room with news about Itachi's status, only to be in time to hear _that_ tidbit of information. "Is this true!?" She rounded on Danzo, who seemed to have realized all his carefully laid plans were crumbling to dust right before his eye and had prepared to flee, only for Madara to stop him with a crushing grip on his wrist. Danzo cried out in pain as he crumbled to the ground, Madara swiftly pulling out a kunai and cutting away the bandages on his right arm. Ten red Sharingan eyes stared lifelessly at the world from a white arm that was far from natural. "Danzo!" The enraged Hokage spat like a curse as Madara unsealed a jar from a scroll.

"So this is where these went. I'll be taking these, if you don't mind. I'm sure Itachi will be happy to have his parents' eyes back."

" _What_?" He looked up at Sasuke's growl and was impressed with what he saw. It would seem the tipping point has been reached. Sasuke glared at the world with a pair of glowing Mangekyo Sharingan eyes in the pattern of an arabesque flower. Not bad.

"Nice. Itachi will be so proud."

"Or sad." Kisame interjected knowingly. Sasuke snapped his gaze in his direction, but Kisame didn't even twitch. The kid would probably knock himself out before he could preform anything Itachi does on a regular basis.

"Why? Because it won't be so easy to kill me?" Snapped the youngest Uchiha. "I finally have the same eyes as him. Now we're equal." Madara and Kisame both snorted at that and even Tsunade and Danzo were looking at Sasuke as though he were crazy.

"You could have the Rinnegan like Pein-sama and he'd still kick your ass, kid."

"He still kicks _my_ ass from time to time and I'm the first Rinnegan user since the Rokudo Sennin." The eldest Uchiha followed up Kisame's statement. "Not to mention the fact that the difference in our chakra reserves may as well be as that of the size of an ant and a human. You stood no chance when he was sick. If he had really wanted to, he would have killed you the second you appeared within his sight."

"True enough. Amaterasu _is_ a bitch." The shark agreed and they both nodded. "Not that he'd have reason to kill you. Quite frankly, you're not nearly as strong as you seem to think. What would someone as amazing as Itachi-san want with you?"

"My eyes," he said it _wanting_ to appear confident but in reality, with his view of the world shaken by the last couple of hours, he really isn't so sure. "He said he wanted the Eternal Mangekyo, so he was going to kill me and take my eyes to get it. Like Madara had done to his brother. I guess he picked that up from _you_." He said in an accusatory tone of voice, aware that the rest were watching them in interest. He resisted the urge to snap at them to go about their own business and leave the Uchiha business to the Uchiha.

Madara rolled _his_ eyes at that. "One, I loved my brother more than Itachi loves you, and that's a feat in and of itself. Two, Izuna was _way_ stronger than you and killing him just to make sure I won't go blind when I can already see simply by always upholding the Sharingan or even Mangekyo? Useless endeavor that would only waste my time and take away from the Uchiha their Clan Heir and one of their two most powerful warrior in the war against the Senju. Three, Senju Tobirama had fatally injured my brother and Izuna was already _dying_ when he _begged_ me to take his eyes. I complied only two days before his death and then I went on a warpath that nearly ended up with me dead, too. But enough about how _wrong_ you are about me and let's turn to how wrong you are about _Itachi_. One, he loves this village more than anything and is loyal to the bone to it and the _only_ thing he loves more is _you_ , you ungrateful little brat." He spat out, tomoe spinning dangerously until the red changed color into purple and the tomoe faded into concentrated rings around Madara's pupil. He heard a few gasps and Danzo _whimpered_ upon sighting the legendary Rinnegan. "Two, if he wanted the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, he would have taken either the eye Shisui had entrusted him with - one eye is more than enough to see and Itachi's chakra control would have taken care of the rest of the advantages that the Eternal Mangekyo brings - since he was more powerful than you by legions. Or your father's eyes, for that matter. He had the Mangekyo, too, so your argument is invalid. And _four_ , if he _really_ killed the clan simply to test his abilities, wouldn't he have moved on from the Uchiha to _other_ clans and the Hokage himself? Or had your elders actually managed to brainwash you into thinking that the Uchiha are kami's gift to human kind? That's what set aside Itachi from the rest of you clowns. He wasn't arrogant or _sullying_ our _name_. I'm almost tempted to take you out right here and now, if I didn't know Itachi would never forgive me."

"What? And you stand against the Clan?" The younger Uchiha challenged and Madara rolled his eyes.

"I'm one of this damned village's _founders_. If I _wanted_ the Uchiha to stand on their own, I never would have made a truce with Hashirama. Although I see that my choice to leave was right." He glared at the room as a whole. "You've warped our dream so completely that I'm _ashamed_ to call myself the one who named this village." He shook his head at the shamefaced group before turning to the now calm - probably also because she felt ashamed - Tsunade. "How is my student? Will he live?"

"Itachi will probably be fine in about a year or so. I would suggest he stop training or using chakra in that time frame, but something tells me he won't listen to that suggestion."

"You're definitely right," Kisame grumbled to himself, before quieting to hear any more news on his partner.

"I was going to suggest he be put under house arrest, but I'm now tempted to give him quarters in the Hokage Tower until he heals. Actually, he could stay there forever. I want more details on this ... Uchiha Massacre business." The busty blond continued calmly. "You can take those eyes and then we'll be locking Danzo up someplace no one will ever find him and throw away the key."

"Hm," he nodded approvingly. "Obito?"

The Senju blinked at him. "I thought he was dead?"

"I saved him and trained him. He wasn't in a pretty shape, and I unfortunately mean that very literally, too."

"Kakashi-senpai and he are having a heart to heart over ramen-" The other Mokuton user stopped short when Madara snorted. "Is something funny?"

"Only how much Hashirama's silliness had rubbed off on you through his DNA. He used to call it that, too." He shook his head. "How that man got the name God of Shinobi is still a mystery to me, skills be damned."

"Right."

"Zetsu?" The oldest in the room asked next and they all looked at him strangely. "The weird half white, half black man eater plant."

"We're trying to contain him," a lazy, distinctly Nara boy said. "It would appear only the Nara's Kagemane can hold him, and even that's only half effective. It's not a long term solution and none of our other sealing techniques seem to be able to hold him."

"And you're _not_ using the Susanoo to restrain him, either." Tsunade said authoritatively, as if she or any other woman other than Madara's mother could ever tell him what to do. "You're going to be getting a probation period until you show you actually _mean_ it that you're rejoining Konoha. Why would you even be doing that?"

"Because I would like Itachi to call me sensei and he won't be inclined to do that if I attack his beloved Konoha. Besides," he eyed them all suspiciously. "Something tells me you might actually _need_ a couple of competent ninja. And a competent advisor or two, too, seeing what _his_ consorts had allowed to happen." He sent a meaningful look at Danzo as he casually dug out the first of the ten eyes, ignoring how disgusted some of his audience looked or Danzo's grunts of discomfort. "Now, back to the sealing if Zetsu part ... "

"I can do it." Tsunade whipped around faster than anyone had thought it possible - and they were _ninja_ \- a glare scare enough to rival a Mangekyo Sharingan glare leveled at the awake and much better looking Itachi.

"Get back in bed before I tie you down to it and stuff you with enough drugs to keep you under for the year you should be resting!"

Itachi, brave, exceptional Itachi, was the very first man not to quell under a pissed off Tsunade's gaze. "You can try, but neither will work in your favor." The crow loyally sitting on his shoulder cawed, as though in agreement, and he absently reached to scratch its feathers on its chest. He ignored the glares from Tsunade, the rest of the medic nin and Sasuke and Danzo, instead nodding in greeting - and reassurance - to Kisame and then the other Mokuton user. Then his eyes landed on Madara and he nodded once. "I can do it."

"Mind telling me what jutsu so I can do it instead of you? You ought to rest."

Itachi shot him an annoyed look. "No offense, sensei, but you can't do it. No one but _me_ can do it. It's simple as that."

"Somehow I doubt turning him into an actual brain dead plant counts as sealing someone," Madara retorted, immensely pleased with being called sensei, although he did his best to show it. It filled him with a strange proud, warm feeling and suddenly it seemed as though all the bullshit that will follow their reintegration into the village seemed worth it. "Tsukuyomi could be final, but that doesn't count as a good enough a solution. No offense."

"Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu aren't the only Mangekyo Sharingan doujutsu I can do."

"We already used Kotoamatsukami on Sasuke so he won't attack Konoha."

"You can _do_ that?" Some of the observing teens gawked. Even the Nara, who had been tasked with learning as much about Itachi, and the other Mokuton user, who had been on a team with him for two years, sounded incredulous and were watching Itachi in shock. Sasuke, on the other hand, seemed pissed.

"Well, no, not _me_." The genius replied blandly. "But Shisui could and he gave me one of his eyes so _he_ could." He looked at his crow, who was begging for more attention from his master. He ignored how every eye turned to the Sharingan bearing bird. "But it wasn't the Kotoamatsukami I was thinking of."

"Then what?" A newly arrived Obito, with Kakashi in tow, asked. He looked between his injured cousin to his asshole cousin before his eye landed on Madara himself and he gave him the bird, which Madara instantly returned. It's practically a greeting between them by now. "What could _possibly_ sea that thing?"

"The same something that can seal anything else." Itachi replied before his red Susanoo formed around him. Before anyone could react or berate him that he needed rest, Itachi made his Susanoo draw the two weapons that it carried. The Yata Mirror was surprising enough, a legendary relic Madara had only ever read about, for all his years on this earth. He had never heard of someone wielding it but he knew it existed _somewhere_. Figures Itachi would be the one to find it. But the other weapon the red Susanoo carried was even more unbelievable. Long, orange and seemingly not entirely solid, the Sword of Totsuka was unmistakable, what with its ability to seal everything it slices. Of the same variety as the Kusanagi, there was nothing it couldn't pierce and there was no weapon sharper than it was. More legendary and famous than even the Yata Mirror, it was actually believed that it was nothing more than a legendary weapon wielded by only the gods themselves. And yet here it was. Right there in front of them, in Itachi's possession.

Madara whistled. "That was not something I expected. Seriously, Itachi? The Sword of Totsuka? Why didn't you tell me?" He narrowed his eyes as another thought occurred to him. "Actually, when did you learn and master the Susanoo and why didn't you tell me about _that_?"

"I could perform the Susanoo a little before the Sandaime's death. And I didn't tell you because you were hellbent on destroying Konoha back then." When Madara went to say something in his own defense at that, the second youngest Uchiha gave him an exasperated look. "Can we discuss this at another time? I'm not sure how much longer I can sustain the Susanoo."

"Idiot." Tsunade berated while signaling the nearby ANBU to bring the struggling Zetsu into the hospital, the five Nara trying to keep it contained sweating with effort. "Just be quick about it, before you collapse. You should technically not even be using your chakra at the moment, but I can't deny this is important."

"It is, more so than you may think." Without deliberating the meaning behind his critic message, Itachi turned to the now desperately fighting Zetsu - Black Zetsu _knew_ what it was facing and knew there would be no escape for it. Madara felt no remorse for the fate of his extended will - and without ceremony or dragging it out, he stabbed the black and white plant straight in the middle, making sure to catch both sides. The Nara instantly released their jutsu, already feeling the tug of the Totsuka blade as it did its thing, Zetsu screeching his protests until he was sucked into the sword's gourd, never to be seen or heard from again. And as soon as the gourd closed and sealed Zetsu away forever, Itachi lost consciousness and would have hit the floor had Kisame not recognized the signs and already been ready to catch him. Madara watched as the blue skinned man, under the orders of Tsunade, carried Itachi away and back to his bed, casually popping one eye at a time out of Danzo's hand until nothing was left. He closed the jar by the time Tsunade returned, suspiciously eying it as he sealed it away from her or anyone else's reach.

"I'm persuming you'd want me to explain myself?"

The woman sighed tiredly, rubbing a hand over her eyes. "Not without an appropriate amount of sake involved." She grumbled and Madara, smirking, unsealed an unopened sake bottle from one of his storage seals. She looked immediately interested. _Dear Kami_ , he thought with exasperation. What had Hashirama been teaching his granddaughter? How to be an alcoholic? She definitely picked up all of his worst traits, as he found out during their several hours long conversation in her office. Seriously, she even picked up his bad gambling habits? If at least she'd inherited her grandmother's luck, it would be fine. _This_? It was a bit pathetic and worrisome. Her helper, Shizune, seemed even more stressed than Tobirama had been the last time Madara had seen the prick. Then again, he and Madara had shared some of the workload until Madara got sick of how everyone was treating him and left the village. The most satisfying part had been knowing Tobirama would have to deal with all of that shit on his own.

Too bad karma was coming back to bite him in the but, as a part of his probation included helping in Hokage related (paper)work. Well, at least she got the Uzumaki wit if she had to get almost everything else from Hashirama. She was even as lazy as he was! It was almost not worth it.

But seeing Danzo trounced and Itachi getting better and Obito no longer constantly mooning after his dead crush, it was all well worth it. Somehow, Itachi - after he finally confessed as to all that stood behind the uchiha Massacre - had landed himself the position of adviser and was now constantly being asked random things, but his new position allowed him to buy back the Uchiha Compound and stop Sasuke from landing himself in jail. Things were still tense between the brthers, but Sasuke was safe and no longer going to attack Konoha so Itachi was content. It wasn't going to last, since the really sensitive topics of their parents' involvement in the would-be coup d'tat or Itachi's near blindness or Shisui's death have not yet been breached, but it was going to get to there one day and they were finally going to have it all out in the open. Sasuke's little cronies were going through a probation period of their own, as were Kisame (who figured he might as well stay with Itachi) and Obito (who was learning to look at Konoha as home again and trying to repair his friendship with Kakashi), but everything seemed to be going fine. They'll probably be returnee to active duty as Konoha shinobi by the time Tsunade stops insisting Itachi train as little as possible.

Speaking of training, his and Itachi's sessions became quite popular. They always had a big crowd watching them, no matter how dangerous their sessions may get. Neither genius could determine whether it was because they were both extremely powerful shinobi and legends in their own right or just because they were both so handsome and people wanted to see them sweaty and shirtless. They never found out and they never took of their shirts - Itachi out of decency and fear of fangirls and Madara because he'd rather not find out Tsunade's reaction to the Hashirama-face on his chest, almost right over where his own best friend had stabbed him - much to the watching females' disappointment. And they _were_ a treat to watch, especially now that they could both go all the way out on each other. Susanoo verses Susanoo always got them the entire village watching and Madara felt proud and smug no matter who won the spar. Itachi was _his_ student and Itachi called _him_ sensei.

It was funny how priorities shifted. Not that it was a bad thing, per see, but it was funny. Obito was no longer grieving and moping around and was actually acting more like his usual self. Sasuke was actually grieving properly for the first time in his life and was being less of a dick to his friends, which was always a plus. Pinky and Naruto seemed happy about that. And Madara actually felt at peace for the first time in his life. True peace. His dream was flourishing under his and a Senju's hand and although he missed Hashirama and his brother especially, he had Itachi now. He really only wanted to make Itachi's dream come true and to stop all those useless wars and deaths. They were shinobi and death will always be their shadow, but there was no need for it to stay at the level it was right now. Itachi insisted on various alliances to stop further fighting and Madara was fighting for the disbanding of the Chuunin Exams. At least in their current form. Itachi, of course, was all for it, even coming up with alternate ways for children to test their skills without having to kill each other.

Konoha was getting more sway over the other villages with each new day. Soon enough, maybe they might even manage in fulfilling their dreams. The Kyuubi brat was even getting some proper training by both of his father's remaining students - and wasn't that a surprise for the village at large to learn that their once most hated person was the son of their most beloved Hokage, and Naruto especially - while Itachi and Madara were wrecking braincells to figure out how to fully remove the Cursed Seal of Heaven, and Orochimaru with it, off of Sasuke without draining any of his gained power and strength. Said Uchiha teen was now spending most of his days hunting for Kabuto, whom they suspect might be trying to finish his master's work. In short, they were doing rather fine as Itachi recovered and Madara could just calmly sit by the little koi pond in the Uchiha Compound and feed the fish as he enjoyed peace for the first time in his life while it lasted.

There was still a lot to do. There always will be. Not all of their enemies and competitor villages were taking it well that Konoha was growing stronger by the day. Kumogakure was stirring up trouble again and Kirigakure was demanding Kisame's head on a platter, something Itachi would not be allowing to happen to his most loyal friend since Shisui. Amegakure was divided between supporting them and fighting them, since Naruto had been proclaimed to be the cause behind Nagato's death and Obito behind Konan's, but the people there respected Itachi just as much since he had practically been the third in command, as far as the world outside was concerned.

Soon, the time will com when Itachi can go out on missions again and Madara refused to let him run the first few without him there. Kisame was smart enough not to argue or complain but Itachi was not pleased with the implications that he will always stay a child in Madara's eyes - the age difference might be a bit to blame right there - but he also knew there was no point fighting Madara where he himself and his own safety were concerned.

And when the time came, when the year passed and Tsunade finally reluctantly let Itachi go out on missions - and it had even very little to do with the possibility of a relapse and more to do with the fact that Itachi was now an important figure in the village - the world at large learned not to mess with Uchiha Itachi.

Not just because he was an excellent shinobi with a perfect mission record.

Everyone knew what would happen to them if Madara ever got his hands on them.

No one touches his only student, after all.

 **OWARI**


End file.
